which rover to buy?

[wickedcj]

Hey guys, I am new to this forum.....new to Rovers...not new to offroading.
I have followed jeeps my whole life & know almost all there is to know about them, that said...im looking to purchase a used rover to be used as my dd and for expo's to colorado & western us. I have many ?'s regarding if any models came with Lockers......did they all come with center diff lock? that just locks the t-case correct? I will stop there, I was looking for a 95ish model...hopefully one that is dependable. any insight would be appeciated, even if its just a link. Thanks in advance,

Trey

 

[Chucaro]

Defenders are my pick, if not the classic RR.
Test drive a Range Rover and a Disco, to me the RR is heaps better and have more room on the cargo area than the Disco.
I previously owned a 109 V8, a Disco 1998 Tdi 300 and now have a 1988 RR Hiline V8 3.5 FI.
Regarding the comfort the winner is the RR, practicality for expeditions the Defender is the winner.

Cheers

 

[James86004]

Start by reading Rangerovers.net

All Rovers imported after 1988 are full time 4wd. The Defender, Discovery I, some Disco IIs, and the 87 & 88 Range Rovers had a manual diff lock. The 89-2002 Range Rovers used a viscous coupling to automatically lock the center diff. I think the LR3s and current generation Range Rovers use a Torsen limited slip center diff.

The Freelander and LR2 have no low range.

The Series trucks made until 1983 had a part time 4wd system.

 

[Scott Brady]

A classic Range Rover would be nice. Swapping to the LT230 would not be too big of a deal (and net the CDL).

I wouldn't mind having one, but have enough projects at the moment...

 

[TeriAnn]

You can start off by defining what you want the vehicle for and what attributes would be ideal for the kind of role you see it playing in your life.

Next read the expo guide to Land Rovers thread. Read all the threads to get a general background on all the models. Then when you have a better idea of what is what, test drive each model that you might be interested in. If one model stirs your soul, that's the model for you. If none seem quite right, try a different marque.

There's a lot of Toyota people who religiously follow the Land Rover threads and will tell you to get a Toyota instead. So if the Land Rovers don't quite do it for you, you can make them happy by trying the toy collection next.

 

[Z O O R O P A]

I bet we see 2004 Discos below 8K$ in the next 4 months on a regular basis. Quite a few have shown up on autotrader and ebay lately with less than 75K miles and models with 45-60K are starting to sell for 10K$ or less. That is tempting. Of course there are still those in denial who want 18-22K$ There was/is a really nice G4 loaded with winch,rack, lift, rear 60amp outlet and lights selling for 14K with like 45K miles on lrx

 

[LC/LR4Life]

Hey guys, I am new to this forum.....new to Rovers...not new to offroading.
I have followed jeeps my whole life & know almost all there is to know about them, that said...im looking to purchase a used rover to be used as my dd and for expo's to colorado & western us. I have many ?'s regarding if any models came with Lockers......did they all come with center diff lock? that just locks the t-case correct? I will stop there, I was looking for a 95ish model...hopefully one that is dependable. any insight would be appeciated, even if its just a link. Thanks in advance,

Trey

My favorite is the Range Rover Classic County......

 

[gahill2]

I had a DII...Loved the truck, it capabilities and the lines but didn't care for all of the little problems along the way. Valve job, head gasket replacement, 02 sensors all within 80k miles. Loved every minute of having it just wanted to get into something different for a DD and will get another Rover for a trail rig.

My next Rover will more than likely be a Range Rover Classic.

Good Luck and Happy Future Rovering!

 

[MattScott]

Be prepared to put alot of work into a 95 to get it reliable. Most of these cars, when not owned by an enthusiast, are neglected. This is because of the amount of parts that break and the cost of fixing them vs. the value of the vehicle. Spending an extra buck on a DI can go along way.

 

[kellymoe]

A big X2 on the Range Rover Classic. If highway driving is not a big issue I would even recommend a 87-88 classic since it already has the LT230. I had a 88 classic and although it was a dog on hills and headwinds it was perfect off road. I wouldn't hesitate to get another 3.5 classic.

 

[bigreen505]

Exactly how much bigger is a Rangie (interior space) than a D1?

 

[James86004]

Exactly how much bigger is a Rangie (interior space) than a D1?

The distance from the rear axle to the back edge of the bumper is the same, but the bumper on a D1 is a lot wider. That extra width came at the expense of interior space in the load area behind the rear seats. The load area in a D1 is taller, though.

D1s and Range Rover Classics are basically the same chassis, axles, and drivetrain. The interior on a D1 is nicer in that there are storage pockets everywhere. The RRC is nicer because it has a drop down tailgate that can be used for a table, a seat, and a platform to get to stuff on the roofrack.

 

[kellymoe]

Exactly how much bigger is a Rangie (interior space) than a D1?

Couldn't tell you the cubic feet but speaking from experience the RRC seems to have a more usable back storage area. The Discos is just too short. In the RRC you can slide a igloo cooler in length wise with no issue, the disco you cant. Just a deeper cargo area on the classic.

 

[Chucaro]

Just to give you an idea about cargo area on my old Disco I have to place my 50 Lt waeco fridge across the back, on my RR 1988 I can fit the same fridge long ways and have room to spare.
I have the 3.5 Fi and it is not slow at all. We tow the 1 ton camping trailer at constant 65 mph without any problem. I love it.
I will only change it for a DEFENDER :bowdown:

 

[MUSBJIM]

Trey -

With all things considered, I would go with the RRC. I have a 91 RRC (Great Divide) I've logged 270K miles (owned since new). At the time I chose the RRC over the Defender because it would be my daily driver providing more ride comfort and cargo capacity on long road trips/excursions, while still proving to be very trail-worthy. Also, you don't get quite as road-weary on long trips in a RRC.

I imagine you could find a decent RRC for a fair price (<$5K) leaving you some money to budget for a nice build-up.

...I'm just saying...